Informational: Federal Court Arraignment

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on January 24, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, the following individual was arraigned:

COLEEN FURTHMYRE, a 46-year-old resident of Helena (formerly of Anaconda), appeared on charges of wire fraud and theft of government money. She is currently released on special conditions. If convicted of these charges, FURTHMYRE faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General.

The defendant pled not guilty to the charges.

The charge, an indictment, information or complaint, is merely an accusation and all persons named as defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A pre-trial conference and a trial date will be set and the United States will be required to prove the allegations set forth in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.